Voices Summer 2019

ZURICH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

THE ZIS GUIDE TO HAPPY EXPAT CHILDREN Research and first-hand experiences to help make your family’s new life a success.

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE How ZIS is playing its part in responding to the urgent call for sustainability.

PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE Take the no fear approach to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

S U M M E R 2 019

CONTENTS 03 WELCOME Michaela Seeger introduces the issue.

04 NEWS The latest from the ZIS community.

09 THE ZIS PERSPECTIVE Director Lisa Lyle on writing the next chapter in ZIS’s history, and meeting the community in the ZIS Partners initiative.

10 ON THE LAKE The uplifting experience of cycling the Seestrasse alongside Lake Zurich.

15 SMALL WORLD Max Lubkeman says his appetite for new experiences – honed at ZIS – has powered his career in banking.

16 A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE The UN Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious and far-reaching, but can a school really make a difference?

We find out how ZIS is playing its part.

22 THE ZIS GUIDE T0 HAPPY EXPAT CHILDREN Research suggests that happy children can make or break a family’s overseas move. Experts and those who have been through it explore how to get it right.

28 GO ZIS LIONS Proud, strong and resilient: the lion is the perfect emblem for ZIS. But how did the association with the school first begin, and what’s behind its recent promotion as a school emblem?

13 24 HOURS IN STOCKHOLM Lena Förberg on her Swedish hometown.

ZIS Voices is produced on behalf of ZIS by YBM. ybm.co.uk

Editor Rachel Ditchfield rditchfield@zis.ch Cover Photography Sara Lucas Agutoli Styled by Seiko Hatfield

43 ZIS TODAY Catherine Jolly, Lower School Principal, on the Early Childhood program’s move to new surroundings.

46 ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES The joy of tinkering – according to members of the STEAM programme.

12 AFTER SCHOOL PE teacher Ibi Oubda’s passion for the Ghanaian school he founded in 2004.

Director of Community Relations Michaela Seeger mseeger@zis.ch

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44 PERSPECTIVES Corporate philanthropy: business leaders reveal the how, what and why of giving.

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The opinions expressed in Voices are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Zurich International School or YBM

36 PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE It’s normal to feel nervous before a big moment, but how can you use that buildup of pressure to deliver the performance of a lifetime?

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48 MY PASSION Grade 12 student Valerie Monticone and her love of learning languages.

Letters and enquiries Zurich International School, ZIS Community Relations, Steinacherstrasse 140, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland.

To advertise in the magazine, contact: voices@zis.ch If you would prefer not to receive this magazine, please email: voices@zis.ch

ZIS VOICES | 01

WELCOME page 22. Research shows that the happiness of your family can make or break an overseas move, so we hear from people who have been through the process about how to do it right.

We also assess what it takes to perform under pressure and, on page 36, hear from people who thrive on it as part of their daily lives.

These shared experiences are an important part of our successful community, as I saw at first-hand recently at a dinner with alumni from across the decades. Although guests did not know each other, when they shared their memories of what makes ZIS so special there were some common themes, and the sense of connection was remarkable.

ZIS will always be a global community of learners, and we are proud of our record of educating global citizens year after year.

Ours is a fully rounded education, grounded in conceptual understanding, competency and character, and equipping students with the key skills they will need to thrive in the 21st century.

Finally, thanks to the many people who got in touch to say how much you enjoyed the new look and feel of the magazine. We love to hear from you, so please do stay active with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Michaela Seeger Director of Community Relations

ILLUSTRATION: MASAO YAMAZAKI

Welcome to the summer issue of ZIS Voices.

Summer, of course, means different things to different people, depending on where in the world you are and the weather outside. But for all of us, the spectre of climate change looms large, which is why we, as a responsible organisation, take the sustainability agenda very seriously.

As we outline on page 16, we are playing our part in supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and why our Annual Fund priority for this school year will focus on sustainability.

It’s a topic that our new Director, Lisa Lyle, is also focusing on, and we welcome her to the school. You can read her thoughts on the road ahead, and how excited she is to take ZIS to the next level, on page 9.

School spirit is an important part of ZIS life and in recent years our students’ pride has become embodied in the school emblem – the lion. On page 28 we reveal the history behind how the lion came to be associated with ZIS in the first place, and hear how its growing presence is a mixture of strategy and momentum.

Looking beyond the school walls for a second, our wider community continues to grow in both strength and numbers. Our ZIS Partners initiative is giving even more of our parents and alumni the chance to come together and share experiences, possibly to discuss the sort of issues we cover in our guide to happy expat children on

ZIS VOICES | 03

NEWS

J E F F PA U L S O N

SAYING AUF WIEDERSEHEN TO JEFF by the collective support of our stakeholders: the ZIS board and foundation trustees, the ZIS leadership team, the faculty and staff, the parent community, and, last but not least, our alumni. You have been very generous in giving your time and resources, and I would like to thank you.”

Ron Steijn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said: “Jeff worked tirelessly to improve ZIS’s operations, teaching quality and reputation. He professionalized management of the school, updated systems and processes, and built a leadership team aligned around our strategic vision.

“His many achievements include implementing major curricular improvements, building community spirit and engaging alumni, and creating and implementing an innovative professional development model. ZIS’s stellar reputation among international schools and our success in recruiting the very best teachers are in no small measure due to Jeff’s leadership.”

Jeff has become Head of School at Riverstone International School in Idaho, USA, and the school has welcomed Lisa Lyle as the new Director (see page 9).

J O H N M AT T E R N AWA R D

WEBSITE

TRANSITIONS

FORMER TEACHER HONOURED

PORTALS CELEBRATED

HELLO AND GOODBYE

Andreas Meitanis (History teacher, 1986-2018) has been named this year’s John Mattern Alumni Award for Faculty honoree. The award recognises a former faculty member who has provided an exceptionally high degree of individual attention to, and concern for, students in all areas of school life.

For more information, visit zis.ch/mattern

ZIS portals (for parents, alumni, employees and trustees) have been recognised as among the most creative in their field in the Finalsite Double Diamond awards. The awards publicly reward the hard work of schools around the world, and celebrate their “ingenious, creative work” in websites and portals.

The school is delighted to welcome a number of new teachers and staff members to our community, including our new Upper School Principal, David Markus. Over the summer, we also said farewell to other members of staff and faculty who are moving on to new adventures elsewhere.

Learn more at zis.ch/transitions

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PHOTOGRAPHY: CAMILLA GREENWELL

The community said its final farewell to outgoing Director Jeff Paulson at this year’s Ghana Cup soccer match, celebrating his seven years leading the school.

During his time here, Jeff introduced the Learning First Curriculum and strengthened the faculty professional development program. He also enhanced relationships throughout the whole community during the school’s 50thanniversary celebrations in 2013, and in his support of awards to alumni faculty and students, including the John Mattern, Hanna Gasser and Dan Floersheimer awards.

Jeff was a keen advocate of school spirit (see our feature on page 28) and, in recognition of this and as a special surprise leaving gift, students at the event ‘presented’ Jeff with the new, formal school cheer: “ZIS, ZIS, we are here to beat the rest!

Lions cheer, Lions roar, we will always beat your score!”

“My family and I have truly enjoyed being part of ZIS the past seven years, and it’s been a great honour,” said Jeff. “Working with great people who love education and working with kids is a gift. The achievements we’ve seen have been made possible

zurichintschool @ZISnews zurichinternationalschool zurich-international-school ZurichIntS #ZISExperience #ZISLearns #ZISCares ANNUAL FUND In 2018/19, the Annual Fund focused on funding projects related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education. In a record-breaking year, more than CHF228,000 was raised from more than 345 donors. For 2019/20, the Annual Fund will support sustainability efforts, including the Living Classroom development. zis.ch/support/annualfund

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participants in STEAM workshops in 2018/19

ALUMNI SUPPORT

“LIFE AFTER ZIS” VIDEO PROJECT Recent ZIS graduates shared advice and their experiences with Class of 2019 students, as part of a “Life after ZIS” video project.

Members of the previous years’ graduating classes were surveyed about the kind of advice they would have found useful in their initial years after graduation. They were each asked to record short video clips, which were compiled into videos on four topics – university life, cooking, living independently and finances. The videos were then used as a springboard for discussion in Grade 12 advisory classes about transitions.

Alumni from ZIS classes of 2006 to 2018 contributed their thoughts, from the heartfelt (“Remember to stay in touch with your parents”) and practical (“Cook

extra and invest in Tupperware to bring your lunch to university”) to the less serious (“If you’re living alone and are afraid of spiders, make good friends with your neighbours!”).

Following the “Life after ZIS” unit, students voted on the most helpful advisers, choosing Ellie Harrison, Class of 2017 (2015-17) and Max Timken, Class of 2018 (2016-18).

According to Grade 12 Leader Martin Samuelsson: “Many Grade 12 students recognized former ZIS students in the videos and really took all their good advice seriously.”

“The alumni – such as Max, who did a whole cooking video – really made a special effort. It was a great way to engage the students and we’ll certainly do this again!”

Advice ranged from the heartfelt – ‘Remember to stay in touch with your parents’ – to the irreverent – ‘If you’re living alone and are afraid of spiders, make good friends with your neighbours’

Z I S PA R T N E R S

ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL KIRKHAM

JOIN THE CONVERSATION The power of the ZIS community network is the focus of ZIS Partners, encompassing a series of events offering numerous opportunities to share your thoughts and ideas. Activities range from the Director’s Roundtable and Campus Meetings to surveys, corporate breakfasts with business partners and other events such as ZISMeets.

One such initiative is the new series of Community Conversations, facilitated discussions between eight to 12 specially invited members of the ZIS community. The purpose of these events is to partner with others and to use the power of the ZIS network to collaboratively exchange ideas and shape a collective vision.

In another event, more than 120 members of the ZIS community will be meeting on 21 September for a ZIS VOICES Live session entitled ‘Disruptive Innovation and its Impact on Economy, Society and Education’. The session, facilitated by David McIntosh, founder and president of Creative Business Breakthroughs at Harvard Extension School, will look at changes in the economy and how these impact the school and students’ preparations for the workplaces of the future.

We will share what happened at the event with the community, and the outcomes will be discussed as part of the school’s strategic planning activity.

If you would like to join a Community Conversation or would like to host one, please contact zispartners@zis.ch.

Learn more at zis.ch/community/zis-partners. #ZISVoicesLive ZIS VOICES | 05

ALUMNI

ZIS COMMUNITY We are always delighted to hear from you and share your updates!

Email us at alumni@zis.ch and read more classnotes in Alumni Links, our e-newsletter.

T WO-HUB MODEL

EARLY CHILDHOOD MOVES TO LOWER SCHOOL Early Childhood students aged three and four have joined their older peers at the Lower School, with everyone in Early ZIS to Grade 5 now under one roof.

“The opportunity to create one Lower School community has many advantages for students, teachers and parents,” says Lower School Principal Catherine Jolly.

“We are very excited to have everyone together.”

The lakeside villa has become a conference centre for use by students, faculty and parents for events, retreats and workshops.

For more on this story, see p43.

G R A D U AT I O N

HARRY KORINE RETURNS FOR CLASS OF 2019

Four members of the Class of 2015 will be starting Master’s degrees at the University of Oxford this autumn. They are: Gabrielle Chappell (2013-15) and Sandra De Giorgi (2000-15), who have both been at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and will study Integrated Immunology and History of Art and Visual Culture respectively; and Adam Johnson (2007-15) and Ania Milligan (2000-15) who join from University College London to study Social Anthropology and Criminology and the Criminal Justice System respectively.

Ann Farley (Jones), Class of 2004 (1998-2000), is in contact from Australia to say she completed her Master of Taxation last year. She now works as a corporate tax advisor in the financial services industry, and is married with two beautiful children and two “giant, silly dogs”.

Carla León, Class of 1980 (1977-79), shared her memories of performing at school via Facebook: “I spent the best moments of my life during assemblies – my 15 minutes of fame. I knew what it meant to be appreciated just then and there.

I performed with Mr (Dick) Killen once – and even once for a parents’ evening – and I was also in a production of Godspell and sang with Mary Morris, Class of 1980 (1975-81) and Nadia AshkenazyJones, Class of 1982 (1978-82).”

PHOTOGRAPHY: TEVY AG WÄDENSWIL

Isabel Scheck, Class of 2016 (2002-16), is proud to introduce her first published poetry book When Daisies and Thunderstorms Collide.

Isabel writes: “Many thanks to my great teachers, such as Shea Allen, Emma Bentley, Kevin Browning, Garett Hinebauch, Joanna Rossi and Katie Seggerson.”

Gratitude towards teachers, the benefits of being different and how well prepared the newest alumni should feel for the ever-changing global society were the key themes of the Class of 2019 graduation speech, delivered by Harry Korine, Class of 1980.

After attending AISZ from 1977 to 1980, Harry studied engineering and international relations at Stanford University and earned his PhD in strategic management at INSEAD. He now teaches at the London Business School and INSEAD and consults for a wide variety of organisations.

Visit bit.ly/graduationaddress2019 to see Harry’s graduation address to the Class of 2019.

ZIS alumni have also been part of the school’s Instagram takeover, where different parts of the school community run the ZIS Instagram account for a day. Upper School sports teams led the way, but now it’s your chance. Once a month, one of our alumni will spend the day posting about their daily life, so if you’d like to be involved, contact us at alumni@zis.ch and we’ll add you to the list!

Share your personal and professional news!

Email us at alumni@zis.ch. #ZISAlumni ZIS VOICES | 07

THE ZIS PERSPECTIVE Proud and inspired: I’m ready to work with you all to write a new chapter in ZIS’s celebrated history.

“The ZIS Partners events allow us to meet the community and use the power of our relationships to shape a collective vision for our future” Lisa Lyle Director

ILLUSTRATION: MASAO YAMAZAKI

I am delighted to share with you my excitement about joining the ZIS community. Beginning with my first visit to the school – now over a year ago – I was struck by the fact that each time I asked students, colleagues, parents or alumni about their experience at ZIS or one of the predecessor schools, they responded with personal stories and contagious enthusiasm. ZIS brings together a global community of learners who work together to ensure that students develop the intellect, skills and character essential for them to make a difference to the organizations and communities they will join. I am proud to join you in this effort.

As members of a global community, and as educators, we are committed to fostering habits of responsible global citizenship in our students. Consequently, we find ourselves compelled to consider what each of us as individuals, and what we as an academic institution, must do. In addition to the obvious steps of reducing our carbon footprint and recycling, we are reminded that a commitment to sustainability must go beyond, but also include, careful resource management.

The United Nations has endorsed 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which range from environmental protection, safeguarding and augmenting human capital through the reduction of poverty and elimination of hunger, to the fostering of good health and wellbeing.

In addition, thriving communities must themselves be sustainable, which requires strong and vibrant leadership and economic institutions. This will be a priority for us as a school community, and it is for this reason that sustainability will be the main focus of this year’s Annual Fund.

I’m also inspired by the challenge of developing young minds.

ZIS recognizes that students of all ages learn best when they are called to grapple with developmentally-appropriate, messy, real-world challenges. Not only do inquiry-based learning approaches foster curiosity and intrinsic motivation to solve the challenges at hand, they also develop student agency.

Students who have wrestled with problems they care about demonstrate greater confidence, a willingness to take risks, stronger intrinsic motivation and the desire to get better at solving increasingly challenging problems. This results in both growing confidence and competence.

Students benefit from encountering challenges in and out of the classroom, and ZIS students are fortunate to have access to co-curricular offerings that are both varied and vast. They give students opportunities to explore passions and develop interests, while at the same time building knowledge and skills.

As we progress through the 21st century, I look forward to building on this tradition, ensuring that our students are ready to take their places in the global community.

Of course, ZIS is much more than just a school; it is a community united by shared experience. I have only just scratched the surface of this community in my early conversations and visits, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it – and you – well. Earlier this year, we continued our ZIS Partners initiative and, as part of that process, I look forward to speaking to many of you in one of the numerous events we have planned. We want to use the power of our relationships to exchange ideas and shape a collective vision for our future.

Finally, I would like to express my own gratitude to Jeff Paulson for his strong leadership of ZIS. Thanks to Jeff, ZIS enjoys a position of real strength among international schools.

While there will doubtless be good, important work to do, we also have much to celebrate as we begin to write together the next chapter in ZIS’s history.

ZIS VOICES | 09

ON THE LAKE Two wheels good, four wheels bad?

When it comes to taking in the views, it seems you can’t beat a bicycle.

WORDS SARAH WOODWARD PHOTOGRAPHY CAMILLA GREENWELL

At 95km long, the cycle trail around Lake Zurich can be completed in a day if you really push yourself. But, as anyone who’s been lucky enough to experience any part of the route, the stunning scenery is best enjoyed at a more leisurely pace.

“I really love being out in nature and the views are so amazing, different from every point,” says Fieke Wijnen (Grade 12). “Once, when I’d just finished my mocks, I went straight off for a bike ride round part of the lake to clear my head. It’s just so beautiful,

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all the year round. I really love the autumn, when the bright colours of the trees shine in the water, and in spring I like to watch the budding of the trees, as grey slowly turns to green.”

High mileage is not unusual for Fieke, who cycles to school every day. “I like the freedom of cycling. I am not dependent on my parents or the bus timetable. And in winter, the cold wakes me up.” She was also last year’s winner of the Project Green cycle to school competition, organised by the environmental service group led by students in the Upper School. “I cycled 196.9km that week – now I wish I’d passed the 200km mark!”

Another who likes high mileage is Finn Borg, Class of 1974 (1969-74), a highly successful Ironman competitor. Finn likes his cycle routes to be challenging – he puts in around 8,000km a year on his bike in training – but even he can’t escape the romance of the lakeside route. “I’ve been riding the Seestrasse (lake road) since the 80s. Thirty kilometres along the lake from

Riding lakeside These pages show a group of current and alumni parents who regularly cycle together around the lake. Featuring (below right, left to right): Natasha Bartel, Femke Groen, Ellen Goodyer, Alexis Margreiter and Niek Wouters, Class of 1997 (1992-97).

my office in Zurich is the lovely city of Rapperswil, with its little castle. The view on a clear day is magnificent. The ride is a nice warm-up and to see snow-covered mountains really motivates me.”

Aaron Beaudin, Class of 2018 (2015-18), who lives in a house in Thalwil near the lake shore, also doesn’t let the time of year put him off. “I cycle every day into the University of Zurich, often weekends as well, and part of my route takes me along the Seestrasse. I like to cruise along in another cyclist’s slipstream, enjoying the view. I have always found the freedom of being on my bike very liberating.

When I was younger I used to ride round the whole lake with my parents two or three times each year and I cycled up and down the hill to school every day with friends.”

“I like the freedom of cycling.

I’m not dependent on my parents or the bus timetable – and in winter, the cold wakes me up!”

Aaron says it can be exhilarating to fly past the queues of cars. “And, of course, I am doing my bit for the environment. The best part, though, is that I’ve been doing this since I was little. That is what I love about cycling beside the lake – that constant.

I have changed, but the lake, and the scenery, hasn’t.”

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AFTER SCHOOL

Don’t be fooled by his laid back demeanor – PE teacher Ibi Oubda is as passionate about education as they come.

WORDS STEVE M c GRATH PHOTOGRAPHY CAMILLA GREENWELL

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By day, Lower School PE teacher, but by any other time, cook, tailor, sports coach, builder… and school founder: Ibi Oubda is no ordinary educator. Since hanging up his professional football boots 15 years ago, he has barely stopped, but there is one thing that has become a driving force in his life: the Bosomtwe International School in Ghana. Or more accurately, the children in it.

“Education has become my religion,” he says.

“I am absolutely committed to seeing children given the opportunity to achieve everything they can.

I want them to see their own potential, to recognise their own strengths, and to have the chance to make the most of them.”

All smiles Ibi founded the Bosomtwe International School in his home Ashanti region of Ghana.

24 HOURS IN STOCKHOLM

ILLUSTRATIONS: MUTI

“It’s wonderful to open our own students’ eyes to a wider cultural world” It’s a passion that led Ibi, in 2004, to create from scratch a new school for children in his home Ashanti region of Ghana, making the most of the privileges of playing football at a high level – for Kotoko in Ghana, in the German Bundesliga with Hamburg and for the national Ghanaian team at the Junior World Cup. “All my adult life I had been doing small things to give something back to my local community, but after I retired from professional football my mum told me that if I wanted to really make a difference and achieve my dream, then I had to do more.”

So, with the blessing of the local chiefs, Ibi was inspired to create a new type of school, setting up under a single canopy with just 30 children to offer a different environment to the traditionally strict and restrictive government schools. “There was no life for the kids when we started, but I wanted something different. I tried to put their interests first, to work with them to learn, rather than having learning be done to them.”

Fifteen years on, and in an established school campus that he helped to build himself, the very first group of students has just graduated. He is proud to see that the children’s standards have improved massively and there is a real eagerness to learn. “Everyone sees that the children have benefited. I remember in the early days asking one boy what he would like to be when he is older, and he told me ‘car mechanic’. I asked that boy again recently and he said ‘politician’. They have had their minds opened, and it is very humbling to see.”

While Ibi spends every holiday he can back in Ghana – as well as coordinating his local support team there from his Zurich base – he’s also overseen the growing relationship between the Bosomtwe and ZIS students, now in his role as ZIS Ghana Coordinator. Each spring, a group of Grade 8 students spend time at Bosomtwe, and there is an Upper School trip each year as part of the Classroom Without Walls initiative. The students never fail to be inspired.

“It’s wonderful to open our own students’ eyes to a wider cultural world,” says Ibi. “This project is not about ‘sponsoring’ individual children, it’s all about helping children grow, both the Bosomtwe children but also our own ZIS students. I concentrate on the ‘software’ not the ‘hardware’ – it’s not about pumping money blindly into resources the Ghanaian children don’t really need, it’s about nurturing a proper relationship between cultures and demonstrating real collaboration. That is the passion that drives me on, and I’m certainly not finished yet.”

Lena Förberg, ZIS parent, fills us in on the best things to do in her Swedish hometown. #ZISTravels.

PADDLE YOUR WAY AROUND THE CITY My favourite way to explore Stockholm’s 14 islands in the summer is to hire a canoe at Långholmen. You’ll see the Town Hall where the Nobel Prize ceremony takes place and my favourite, Gamla Stan (the Old Town), with its small shops and cobbled alleys.

HAVE A SWEET MOMENT AT FABRIQUE The best place to enjoy fika, the Swedish ritual of chatting and relaxing over a coffee, is Fabrique.

There are branches throughout the city and whenever I’m back I always call into the one at Humlegårdsgatan for a kanelbulle, a freshly-baked cinnamon bun.

GET CULTURAL AT FOTOGRAFISKA This relatively new and impressive art space plays host to photographic exhibitions by Swedish and international artists. I once saw a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition there that was very provocative. There’s also a world-class restaurant, so you can finish with lunch.

APPRECIATE TRUE SWEDISH DESIGN Svenskt Tenn is an interior design shop that has been around since 1924. They sell everything from glassware to upholstery and textiles, and the aesthetic is clean and classic yet still playful and uplifting.

Sometimes I buy, but it’s more a source of inspiration.

CATCH THE SUNSET AT BOCKHOLMEN Bockholmen bar and restaurant is in a villa in the Stockholm archipelago, but accessible by a short subway ride. In June and July, the sun doesn’t go down until 10pm so, before dinner, you can enjoy a glass of prosecco at the outdoor bar while it’s still light.

Share your insider insights using #ZIStravels on Twitter (@ZISnews), facebook.com/zurichintschool and Instagram (zurichinternationalschool).

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SMALL WORLD

Max Lubkeman, investment banking analyst at Lazard WORDS DIANE SHIPLEY PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN TURTON

Good investment Max remembers lessons at ZIS as “amazing, relevant and relatable, being brought to life vividly”.

From sailing around the Greek islands as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award to hiking in the Himalayas during his Classrooms Without Walls service trip, it’s clear California native Max Lubkeman, Class of 2012 (2010-12), filled his time at ZIS with adventure.

That same enthusiasm for new experiences is evident in his role as an investment banking analyst at global financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard in New York. “You work long hours and need to consistently be on call. It is what one signs up for and was absolutely an adjustment. However, I really enjoy the pace.”

He’s always been fascinated by figures, but switched his major at the University of Chicago from Economics to Political Science because he wanted to pursue a less theoretical degree. “Economics was heavily mathematical and I wanted something more grounded in current events and social structures.”

That’s something he always appreciated about economics lessons at ZIS. “Our teacher, Mr (Joe) Hauet, was amazing. He was very enthusiastic and tied economics to current and historical events so it seemed more relatable.”

Travel was one of Max’s favourite parts of his time at ZIS, and he especially enjoyed trips with the rugby team to play in London, Brussels, Munich and Vienna. Following internships in the LA music industry during university, he attended the prestigious business school HEC Paris, where he completed an MSc in International Finance in 2017. He then joined the strategy and corporate development team at RTL Group for a year before moving to Lazard, where he advises clients regarding potential or actual activist investor challenges.

“After university in the US, I wanted to go back to Europe, partially due to my experience in Switzerland,” he says. “I really appreciated having that diversity of cultures and perspectives.”

He also sought the same academic rigour as the IB programme, which he describes as “intense and rewarding”. Those adjectives fit the work he does now, too. “You really have to be firing on all cylinders, and it requires a lot of critical thinking.”

As he builds his career, he hopes the strong work ethic he honed at ZIS will continue to pay off. “I want to be known for being creative and inventive, but also just for getting the job done efficiently and well.”

To current students contemplating the future, his advice is to keep an open mind. “Don’t close any doors. If you have a passion, pursue it – but not to the extent of ignoring other things. I came across activist investing and defense by chance. You never know what might pop up.”

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SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

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We all have a role to play in tackling real-world issues, and ZIS’s focus on sustainability – a priority for the coming year – is linked directly to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

WORDS BECKY ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY TOBY SMITH

H

arvest might be the high point for all farmers, but for ZIS’s Kindergarten students it is extra special. That’s because when Kindergarten students tuck into freshly-made soup and pesto, most of their meal will have been grown just inches from their table.

The home-grown food is part of a quiet revolution taking root across the school. Over the past few years, raised beds have sprung up, parents have rolled up their sleeves and new plants – from beetroot and berries to peas and potatoes – have flourished.

Today, the Lower School garden has evolved from a great outdoors space into a green classroom where students are gaining vital understanding about their future – and the planet’s.

The outdoor classroom is part of the school’s sustainability programme and the brainchild of ZIS Sustainability Coordinator Kristie Lear.

“I’m a big picture thinker, because to solve sustainability challenges you need to look at the whole impact,” says Kristie. “You can’t solve climate change if you’re not addressing poverty and infrastructure, for example, and you can’t solve hunger if you’re not looking at climate change.”

As a result, her approach at ZIS has been to unearth everything the school is already doing for sustainability – in its curriculum, community and business practices – and build on those strengths.

“You can’t do sustainability justice simply by teaching it in a science class or running an annual event.

It’s a mindset and a conceptual framework for making decisions,” she says. “For me, the priority is to develop a sense of community around real-world issues. We have a real opportunity to work together as parents, teachers and students for systemic change.”

Five years ago, as chair of the sustainability committee, part of the ZIS Innovates initiative, Kristie was tasked with developing a programme that would put sustainability at the heart of ZIS. Inspired

by Berkeley’s Edible Schoolyard Project, she began by transplanting its model of edible education from California to Zurich. “Before I jumped in, the garden formed part of a six-week Grade 1 unit,” she explains. ▸ Z I S V O I C E S | 17

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“But that’s not how nature works, so I decided to make more use of the space.”

Now integrated into Kindergarten and Grade 1 learning, the outdoor classroom is being used for teaching units on plants and animals, food systems and the school community. Together with visits to local farms and forests, the garden helps students learn where their food comes from, and how ecological systems sustain us.

“The garden creates lots of opportunities for teachers and kids,” says Kristie. “Planting and caring for seeds gives children ownership of the space and teaches them indirectly to care for nature through their experiences of nature.”

But sustainability is about more than ecology.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which together form a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The goals are wide-ranging and ambitious – from zero hunger and quality education to climate action and responsible consumption and production – and they are all interconnected.

The UN wants to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030 – a big ask, with a hefty price tag. According to the Brookings Institution, doing so requires mobilising $5-7tn per year.

By contrast, the OECD calculated that public spending on development aid amounted to $146bn in 2017 – just two per cent of the target. Even with philanthropy (which amounts to an estimated $10-400bn) the shortfall is huge.

Nicole Neghaiwi, Class of 2006 (2000-06), is focused on finding ways to bridge that funding ▸

U N S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E LO P M E N T G O A L S ZIS is taking a proactive approach to support the UN’s SDGs, part of its 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs are “an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership.

They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.” The goals are: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

NO POVERTY ZERO HUNGER GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING QUALITY EDUCATION GENDER EQUALITY CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE REDUCED INEQUALITIES SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION CLIMATE ACTION LIFE BELOW WATER LIFE ON LAND PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs

Z I S V O I C E S | 19

“You can’t do sustainability justice by teaching it in a science class or at an annual event. It’s a mindset – a conceptual framework for making decisions”

chasm. She works as an impact investment analyst for a major Swiss bank, work she believes makes a difference but which came to her by accident.

“Impact investing is a type of sustainable investing that seeks to generate measurable environmental or social impact in addition to financial return. That could be investing in social enterprises, for example, whose business model is addressing a specific social or environmental challenge,” Nicole explains. “It seeks a dual bottom line – the assumption being that the two are not mutually exclusive.”

What makes impact investing crucial is that without using private wealth, we cannot fund the SDGs. “We used to see this as the domain of the public sector, but it’s increasingly obvious that with traditional finance, we’re just not going to make it,” she warns. “If we look at private wealth – there’s $280tn in private savings out there – the potential is huge. Mobilising just two per cent of that would overcome the funding gap.”

Nicole has been passionate about sustainability since her teens. At ZIS she was inspired by Upper School Social Studies teacher Paul Doolan and was active in the Model UN, Amnesty International and several product boycotts – but a career in banking was not on her radar.

“To be honest, it was a bit of a mistake. I did a degree in Development Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, and it never occurred to me to work in a bank,” Nicole says. “When I came back to Switzerland after university, I found that – unsurprisingly – aid organisations didn’t want to send an inexperienced 21-year-old into the field.”

Instead, she got a job with an environmental, social and corporate governance data company and discovered that, despite being far removed from the frontline, her work could have significant impact. When she wrote a report on palm oil that encouraged a pension fund to demand that the producer improve their poor practices, the penny dropped. “I realised that what I was doing was probably changing more lives than working in the field,” she says.

“That was my ‘eureka’ moment. It led to where I am now.”

Generating change by moving massive companies minute distances is something Julian Meitanis, Class of 2000 (1995-2000), recognises well. A senior consultant at Zurich-based Sustainserv, he helps large corporations as well as small firms and NGOs build long-term value by identifying the risks and opportunities they need to mitigate or take advantage of.

As a sustainability consultant, he believes that companies need help on two key fronts: keeping up with an accelerating pace of change; and dealing with increasing complexity. “We look at where companies can create a positive impact – environmental, social and economic – at the same time as building better products 20 | ZIS VOICES

and better relationships with their clients, communities and stakeholders. Public perception can make or break companies,” he explains.

Ten years ago, when he first started working in sustainability management, the business landscape was very different, says Julian: “Then, sustainability was rarely an integrated part of business. The discussion is moving forward now; sustainability is driving decision-making, governance and business strategy. We’re at a crucial point.”

Julian’s own ‘eureka’ moment came when he read Paul Hawken’s Ecology of commerce: a declaration of sustainability. First published in 1993, the book argues passionately that as well as causing the greatest environmental abuses, businesses also have the greatest potential for solving our sustainability problems.

“I remember reading it, and the analysis is brutal.

Our economic models are not in harmony with the world, which made me realise that we faced a lot of problems if we continued down the same track,” he says. “In the past 10 years, it’s become very apparent that business as usual is no longer an option.”

Grade 12 student Nicholas von Klitzing is busy spreading the sustainability word among fellow students through Project Green, the Upper School’s sustainability club. Established in 2012, Project Green’s mission is to improve the school’s sustainability, and every year students get together for a brainstorming session to identify key issues they want to tackle.

Last year’s projects are diverse – from plastics and ‘plogging’ (a cross between jogging and litter picking) to cycling and car pools. Project Green teamed up with the school’s athletes to organise a plogging event, which involved the cross-country team cleaning Zurich’s streets while out on their training run. They also organised a bike-to-school challenge, using rewards to persuade more students and staff to cycle to school. But their most ambitious project has focussed on single-use plastics, and they used the school’s carbon offset fund to install a carbonated water dispenser so students can fill up their own bottles for free.

It’s a good illustration of his belief that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility, and that his generation can rise to the challenge. “The most important thing is establishing good habits. Our behaviour as children shapes our habits as adults, so we’re trying to change as many students’ habits as we can so that we can live more sustainable lifestyles,” he says.

“Individuals matter on a grand scale – that’s what people my age sometimes don’t understand, and it makes me sad, because individual changes ultimately bring global changes. Lots of students say they can’t make a difference.

We want to challenge that mindset so that we can get meaningful change.”

First page – Solar More than 150 workers install photovoltaic panels at the Cimarron solar plant in Colfax County, north-eastern New Mexico. Launched in December 2010, it is one of the largest utility scale solar power plants in the US.

Previous page – Power station In response to the uncertainty of future energy needs, Ratcliffe-onSoar in Nottinghamshire, England, is expanding both its production of electricity and the stockpile of its coal onsite.

This page – Wind turbine A view from the top of a wind-turbine nacelle (the part of the turbine that houses the components to transform the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy) on a wind-farm in Inner Mongolia.

ZIS VOICES | 21

Happy expat children.

An insider’s guide.

Research suggests that happy children can make or break an overseas move. So, how do you get it right?

WORDS LUCY JOLIN PHOTOGRAPHY SARA LUCAS AGUTOLI STYLING SEIKO HATFIELD

It started as a long-shot. Talk of a new job, maybe not at home. And then the momentum built and, before you know it, you’ve chosen somewhere to live, you know where the kids are going to school, you’ve packed and you’re done.

Right? As if. Because, as all expat families know, settling in your new home is a whole new task. Indeed, research conducted by HSBC has found that how well your children settle can make or break an overseas move. So, just how do you raise happy expat kids? We asked you for your tips – and to join the conversation, email voices@zis.ch or share your story on social media. ▸ 22 | ZIS VOICES

E X PAT L I F E I N N U M B E R S : H A P P I N E S S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D W H AT P E R C E N TA G E O F E X PAT S S AY T H E Y A R E H A P P Y W I T H T H E I R L I F E I N G E N E R A L?

SWITZERL AND

73% I TA LY

71%

MEXICO

UK

65

%

I N T E R N AT I O N S E X PAT I N S I D E R 2 0 18 S U R V E Y

92%

GERMANY

72%

ZIS VOICES | 23

E X PAT L I F E I N N U M B E R S : C H I L D S A F E T Y A R O U N D T H E W O R L D W H AT P E R C E N TA G E O F E X PAT S S AY P R O V I S I O N F O R T H E I R C H I L D ’ S S A F E T Y I S “ V E R Y G O O D ” ?

SWITZERL AND

74

BELGIUM

38%

%

USA

17 %

J A PA N

65%

24 I SI OVNOSI CE E S I N S I D E R 2 0 18 S U R V E Y I N T E|R NZAT X PAT

“There is so much to learn when settling down in a new place. You see people and things from many different angles – which, in our globalized world of today, is of unlimited value”

BE POSITIVE “Research shows that if the primary carer in a family is happy and positive about the move, the children will usually display similar emotions,” says Dr Megan Adams, senior lecturer in education at Monash University.

“Of course, you’ll all have ups and downs. But if you also listen intently and empathise with your child, it helps the child express their emotions.

The next step is to share strategies around what children can do if they are feeling unhappy and missing family and friends.”

Much of the literature around transitions focuses on negative effects on children when they’re not given the right support, Megan points out. “But the flip side – and something that’s not often reported – is how successful transitions play out and what this actually looks like. A main focus of my research is developing frameworks and processes that schools and families can have in place to better support and learn from each type of transition.”

Ana Carolina Haracemiv Moreira found that focusing on the positives was a big help when her family moved, first from Brazil to the US, then back to Brazil, then to Switzerland, when she took up a new position for Dow Chemical. “As a family we spoke a lot about the advantages and benefits of living in other countries. There is so much to learn when settling down in a new place and getting to know the culture and habits.

You see people and things from many different angles – which, in our globalized world of today, is of unlimited value,” she says.

Her son, Pedro (Grade 11), appreciated his parents’ honesty during that first move to the US. “They told us that the move wouldn’t be easy but they did their best to create a nice environment,” he says. “They were honest and said that the local people knew that we are not from the US and didn’t speak English. Therefore, we understood that my brother and I were going to have challenges at school, in subjects like English and history.”

TRANSITION TAKES TIME How we respond to big upheavals changes over time, points out Upper School counsellor Katie Richardson. In the honeymoon period, we’re carried through by the excitement of the new and different. But then comes the negotiation phase, where we have to get used to our new reality. “This is where it gets a little bit tricky,” says Katie. “November is usually the month where a lot of new kids coming in find it hard. They’re missing home.

They’re missing their friends. The days are short and dark! This is when you really have to check in with them.”

But after this comes adjustment and the ‘mastery’ phase, when, says Katie, you make real friends and become fully integrated. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight, she advises. “It often takes a whole year to really feel that way, even for adults. It’s normal. It’s OK to be halfway through a year and still feel like you’re floating around.”

INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN IN THE DETAILS It’s easy to get caught up in the practical details of a move, but don’t allow your child’s thoughts and feelings to get lost among the boxes, and try to get a regular pattern of life established as soon as possible. “Try and get into a routine, even if you’re living in a hotel,” advises Megan. “Going to school, for example, might be the first routine your child has. The child then knows what will be happening there tomorrow, and next week. Have a certain time every day when the child knows that you’ll be there, just for them. And once you’ve moved into more permanent accommodation, prioritise setting up the child’s bedroom so they have their own space to go.”

And make sure you involve them in as many decisions as you can. When Ana and her family made their first move, to Michigan, USA, she and her husband chose to look at schools and houses without their children Felipe (Grade 6) and Pedro, who were then five and ten. But when they went house and school hunting in Zurich, they decided to bring the children, now ten and 15. “Our kids became part of the process,” she says. “This was especially important with the choice of the school: meeting their new teachers, seeing and feeling the environment, and interacting with some of the pupils supported the decision-making process. When we arrived here, the surroundings were already familiar to them – that helped a lot.” ▸ ZIS VOICES | 25

“It often takes a whole year to really feel integrated.

It’s normal. And it’s OK to be halfway through a year and still feel like you’re floating around”

MAKE THE MOST OF THE NEW SCHOOL Developing a good relationship with a child’s new teacher and the school community is key to a successful transition, says Megan, and a good school will get those partnerships off the ground even before the child has arrived.

At ZIS, the Student Ambassador programme starts recruiting in May for students who are happy to be buddies with new arrivals. They don’t have to be best friends forever, Katie points out, but they’re always there on the first day to greet their buddy, to introduce them to groups with similar interests and to help them find their way around. As the semester goes on, they check in regularly with each other, too. Ambassadors are encouraged to email their buddy before school starts, giving them a great opportunity to ask questions that adults might not have considered, or even meet up beforehand.

There’s also a network of parents ready to welcome newcomers and help make connections quickly. Belgian Chloé Claes, a former Parents’ Association Vice-President (Welcome and Community), jointly responsible for welcoming new parents and their families to school, says if the parents are connected, the children will be too. “It was so nice for me to meet somebody from my own country, who spoke my language, who welcomed me and generally made me feel more comfortable and more at home. I can’t recommend it enough – we are like one big family here.”

The school also runs parent sessions to share any worries or difficulties.

“We ask you to reflect on how well different family members are adapting to the change,” says Katie. “That helps make it clear that everyone will transition at a different pace and their transition will be a different journey.”

KEEP FRIENDSHIPS ALIVE What should you do about old friendships – encourage your child to keep them up, or try to get them into new relationships? Ana has found that a hands-off, relaxed approach has proved the right choice for her family.

“They use technology to connect with their friends from Brazil, but there is a four-hour time difference so they don’t talk much during the week,” she says. “They use various social media platforms to connect with friends back home. They also enjoy computer games, which is yet another way to connect. I give my kids the freedom and space in making those choices.

I believe it’s best when the process is very natural – in fact, one of Pedro’s friends came to Switzerland for skiing and they met for dinner. So, they’re keeping the ties with friends from Brazil and at the same time making new friends here as well.”

SEE THINGS THROUGH YOUR CHILDREN’S EYES It’s important to understand that different children will handle the experience in different ways – one child might love change, excitement and making new friends, while another might be worried and resistant.

Think about what’s important to them, Megan advises, and consider how they see this new environment and the opportunities it presents.

Language was the biggest issue for Chloé’s two children, Thibault, Class of 2014 (2007-14) and Bernard Van Acker, Class of 2019, (2007-14 and 2016-19). When the family first moved to Zurich in 2007, the boys spoke only Flemish, although their eldest had taken some English courses that summer. “I would really recommend some language lessons before they come – just a little bit, so they can communicate on a basic level. And from their perspective, it’s not the country’s language that is so important in the beginning, but the language they speak at school. It’s important to think about what will help them settle the quickest.”

Ana agrees that talking is the best way to know what’s going on in your child’s head. “Sometimes, they just want to talk. When we pick them up from school, they like to talk about what’s going on and, as a parent, you have to make time and pay attention to them. You have to know, and feel, what’s working and what isn’t working so well.”

“Stay close to your kids,” adds Pedro. “Make it very clear to them that you believe in them and that they should keep going and never give up. My parents reassured me, told me to stay focused, keep calm and stay motivated.

The advice and support they gave me made me feel comfortable.”

26 | ZIS VOICES

E X PAT L I F E I N N U M B E R S : C H I L D R E N ’ S W E L L B E I N G I N S W I T Z E R L A N D W H AT P E R C E N TA G E O F E X PAT S I N S W I T Z E R L A N D A R E S AT I S F I E D W I T H T H E I R C H I L D R E N ’ S W E L L B E I N G ?

C O M P L E T E LY S AT I S F I E D

S AT I S F I E D

30%

19%

D I S S AT I S F I E D

2%

C O M P L E T E LY D I S S AT I S F I E D

2%

NEUTR AL

8% VERY D I S S AT I S F I E D VERY S AT I S F I E D

2%

37%

I N T E R N AT I O N S E X PAT I N S I D E R 2 0 18 S U R V E Y

ZIS VOICES | 27

SMELLS LIKE

Pulling together. Pitching in. Pooling resources. Whatever your life stage, working together to achieve a goal is uniquely satisfying – and at ZIS, that spirit is all about the ZIS lion, at the heart of school life.

WORDS WILLIAM HAM BEVAN PHOTOGRAPHY CAMILLA GREENWELL

28 | ZIS VOICES

TEAM SPIRIT

It’s proud, strong and resilient. The lion could be seen as the perfect emblem for ZIS, and its history goes back to the very earliest days of the school. From sports teams and cafés to yearbooks and journals, the lion has a special part in school life.

It was in 1963 that the creature first crept into the culture of the newly founded American International School of Zurich, upon the creation of its coat of arms. Crowned by a lamp to represent knowledge, the school’s shield featured a stylised globe and the Liberty Bell, flanked by two lions rampant.

And given that the lion is a long-standing symbol of Zurich, the school’s choice of emblem was somewhat inevitable.

The story of its original adoption by the city is among the topics explored at Simply Zurich, a permanent exhibition that opened in March at the Swiss National Museum. According to local medievalist Bruno Meier, the lion first appeared on Zurich’s coat of arms around the year 1500. Just over a century ▸ ZIS VOICES | 29

later, the connection was strengthened when a strategic alliance was formed between Zurich, Bern and Venice. The winged Lion of St Mark was the symbol of the Venetian Republic, and its envoy, Giovanni Battista Padavino, presented the burghers of Zurich with a gilded silver version in 1608. Intended as a table decoration – with a hollow head that doubles as a drinking vessel – it’s now among the museum’s most valuable treasures.

Arguably the most famous lions in the city, though, were those created by the artist Urs Eggenschwyler, including the four bronze representations that stand sentinel over Stauffacher Bridge. His many sculptures and paintings of the big cats were just one example of his obsession. As the Simply Zurich exhibition relates, Eggenschwyler could often be seen walking his lioness, Grete, through the Niederdorf, and he kept several of the animals in his menagerie right up to his death in 1923.

However, although the school maintained its link with the lion – the online newspaper run by students taking Digital Journalism classes is called The Lion’s Journal, for example, and as long ago as the late 1960s the annual yearbook was known as Züri Leu, the Zurich Lion – it’s only during the past decade that the lion has taken pride of place as an emblem of school spirit.

Making greater use of the school emblem was a conscious decision of staff members, including Athletics Director Greg Hart. “We have recently started to identify and promote the lion and the ZIS colours throughout the entire school,” he says.

“We wanted one emblem that was instantly recognisable. Now, when our teams travel throughout Europe, people don’t even need to see the school name – they know who we are.”

It all helps to foster a powerful sense of belonging, says Greg.

“Whether you’re a soccer player in Grade 4 or an 18-year-old on the varsity basketball team, you’ll be wearing the same uniform.

We’ve all got the lion on the shoulder, and it helps us to tie the ideals of the school into the expectations of the students.”

“I’m really proud to be a ZIS Lion,” says Victoria Landolf (Grade 8) – an A-team basketball player who also represents the school at tennis and volleyball. “I love the team spirit we ▸

30 | ZIS VOICES

“The lion is instantly recognisable. When our teams travel through Europe, people don’t even need to see the school name – they know who we are”

Z I S V O I C E S | 31

With thanks to Mike Hatkoski, Middle School Assistant Principal and Girls A team basketball coach, and members of the Girls and Boys Middle School basketball teams: Naima Reid, Edo Colella and Ben Van Luik (all Grade 7); and Victoria Landolf, Tina Shomaly, Rebecka Rydberg, Hannah Black, Pedro Lacerda, George Blair and Emilio Eberle (all Grade 8).

32 | ZIS VOICES

“The Upper School ran a competition for a formal school cheer. The winner?

‘ZIS, ZIS, we are here to beat the rest!

Lions cheer, Lions roar, we will always beat your score!’”

share as lions. It’s part of the chants and the cheerleading – ‘Go ZIS Lions!’ – and it gives us that extra motivation.”

While at ZIS, Tristan Upton, Class of 2014 (2007-14), found it valuable to have a symbol to embody the school ethos and spirit – though he admits that his own sentimental attachment to the lion may be down to its links with Chelsea FC, the soccer team he supported throughout childhood.

“The international schools in Europe are all acronyms,” says Tristan. “When you’re cheering your team on, it seems strange to be cheering on an acronym. I think when you have an emblem, you bring your own meaning to it, and it gives some sort of form to the way you feel about your school.”

As part of the Digital Journalism class run by Ian Hoke, Tristan was among the students who had to come up with a name for their online newspaper. It’s perhaps surprising to learn that the Lion’s Journal was nearly called The Inky Keyboard, until the temptation to co-opt the school emblem proved irresistible. “It did give it this official quality,” he says, “Though Mr Hoke made it clear that we had to stress it wasn’t an official communication of ZIS, but a student publication.”

The purchase of a mascot costume meant the ZIS lion finally gained a life-size presence at school events. It’s a decision that was taken during Tristan’s time on the Student Council.

“We had a half-joking discussion about getting an actual mascot,” he says. “We wondered whether it was too American, and whether people would embrace it here in Switzerland. But we then discovered we had some money left in the budget and found an inexpensive lion mascot suit online. Of course, the first challenge was then finding someone to wear it!”

Hannah Mayr, Class of 2014 (2008-14), remembers the arrival of the mascot. “We noticed when we went to tournaments and saw other schools, they would have someone really jump around with their costume for their mascot.” She says it was the time that the lion really began to take on more prominence. “I felt we really started to identify as the Lions. As well as having it on our sports uniforms, we had it in our cheers, and people really began to think of us as ZIS Lions when we were competing.”

The mascot even played a part when Sam Reza, Class of 2019 (2007-19), successfully stood for presidency of the Student Council. “One of my friends dressed up in the suit and came up on stage,” he says. “My campaign was all about building up school spirit, and I think the emblem is very important in that.”

Once voted in, Sam instituted Spirit Week – a five-way competition between Grades 9 to 12 and the teachers. “People really did show a bit more spirit, and got into the idea of school pride,” he says. “It got people talking to some of their peers who they might not have spent time with before. It was great to bring people together like that.”

Today, the lion is very much enshrined in school life. When a 2016 fundraising gala led to the creation of a meeting place for all members of the school community at the Upper School Campus, it was named The Den; the same event also provided for The Den Jr, a counterpart at the Lower School. And it’s why the notion of school spirit was such an integral part of outgoing Director Jeff Paulson’s farewell event in May. As a surprise to him, the Upper School ran a competition to come up with a formal school cheer, which was ‘presented’ to Jeff: “ZIS, ZIS, we are here to beat the rest. Lions cheer, Lions roar, we will always beat your score.”

It’s perhaps a symptom of the lion’s success as a ZIS rallying point. “It’s all tied in,” says Greg Hart. “Community, character, pride, expectations, learning, the sense of belonging. That sort of buy-in from every part of the school community is what’s really exciting and important.”

ZIS VOICES | 33

TAKE THE PRESSURE

#1

VISUALISE SUCCESS

There are nerves – and then there are nerves: for a performer, the pressure is sometimes off the scale.

But can you use that to give the performance of your life?

WORDS LUCY JOLIN ILLUSTRATION ALBERT TERCERO

Performing in front of thousands of people is a normal night in the office for Gil Glasenberg, Class of 2012 (2001-12). His career as a DJ and music producer has taken him to festivals, clubs and stages all over the world, and his recordings are now handled

by Sony Music, but when he first began DJing at local clubs in Zurich aged 16, he was terrified.

“I’d be due to play at 3am and I’d be at the club by midnight, shaking and feeling sick,” he remembers. “I was a very shy guy – the kind who sits at the back of the classroom and never speaks.

To DJ and have everyone looking at me was overwhelming. But I loved DJing and I loved music, and I realised it could be my way into a career in the music industry. So, I just got used to it. I did it over and over again and it became normal for me. Though I do still feel a little bit of fear when it’s a festival of 40,000 people…”

36 | ZIS VOICES

While most of us won’t have to appear in front of vast crowds any time soon, we all know the feeling of performing under pressure, whether going for an interview, pitching an idea, giving a lecture or making a speech.

For some of us, it’s second nature. But for others – like Gil, a graduate of the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at New York University Tisch School of the Arts – it’s a skill he’s developed to deal with the pressure.

However, what if we were able to remove that pressure entirely, asks Fred Luskin, Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects and Associate Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He suggests that pressure to perform comes, after all, from ourselves, and from our need to succeed.

That’s natural: nobody wants to be the one who falls over

#2

on the steps to the podium, forgets their lines or comes last in the spelling bee.

But you don’t have to succeed, says Fred – a controversial view, he admits, in the sports coaching world. “You don’t have to do anything. In fact, that ‘have to’ could be what’s holding you back,” he says.“The ‘have to’ puts an enormous amount of pressure on you. And it’s dishonest, because if you don’t do what you have to, you will still survive! You’re just putting a demand on yourself that you can’t necessarily meet.”

Imagine, he says, stepping up to pitch in a baseball game and telling yourself that your life will be over if you don’t do it right. The pressure will paralyse you. “When you have a basic, underlying cognition that you have to get this, you drive yourself crazy, and you make it less likely that you will be able to think clearly enough to succeed.

“Don’t say: ‘If I don’t do this, my life is over’. Instead, say: ‘Wow, what an opportunity I have. What a privilege. I am blessed, and I want to do the best I can. I want to show myself what

ENJOY IT

“Ask yourself: ‘Is this what I really want?’ If the answer is yes, you are choosing the pressure, and suddenly there’s no threat. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world” I can do – I don’t have to do this, I want to. And I’m legitimately choosing this situation to try to succeed.’”

Brett Morachnick, Class of 2018 (2007-13), agrees. He was also a shy child, who found his voice through school plays at ZIS, such as Les Misérables in 2010. He discovered a love of getting up in front of people and telling stories, and went from strength to strength. He’s now studying acting at the University of Southern California (USC). ▸ ZIS VOICES | 37

“Performing is scary at first, but it’s a skill – one that you can learn over time. Start small, put yourself out there and realize that the worst thing that can happen isn’t even that bad”

#3 DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

“Just getting out of your comfort zone any way that you can and putting yourself out there is going to help,” he says. “Performing is going to be scary at first, but it’s a skill – one that you can learn over time. Start small, put yourself out there and realize that the worst thing that can happen isn’t even that bad.”

Nonetheless, says Brett, the pressure is still on whenever he steps out on to a stage, or in front of a camera. “In the theater, particularly, you’re in this dark room and everybody’s focusing their attention on you. It’s unlike anything else, especially nowadays when people are always on their phones. It seems like there’s a different kind of present, where people are on their phones and computers all the time. Rarely are we in a space where people are fully investing in the moment.”

He compares the time before he’s about to go on stage or in front of a camera to a steep incline on a rollercoaster. “You’re going up and up and about to reach a peak and now you’re getting the anxiety for that downward fall. You know it’s going to be fun in the end, and you’re going to want to do it again, but you’re still worried. What if something bad happens? But once you are on that downward trajectory, it’s a surge of energy like nothing else.”

And you can use that surge of energy to make your performance better, he says. In acting class, students are encouraged to direct that pressure and stress on to the character, focusing on what the character wants in a scene, how the character acts and how they get what they want.

“So, the pressure or judgment never really falls on me as a person,” says Brett. “I feel like I’m able to direct it towards my character. I think that’s applicable to things other than acting, as well. If you’re doing a class presentation, or you are having a very important interview, you can focus on the task at hand rather than focusing on the judgment on yourself.”

According to Emily Kessler, Class of 2013 (2009-13), a dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York, practice and preparation are the keys to overcoming pressure. For her, the stakes are very high: if she doesn’t prepare her body properly, ▸ ZIS VOICES | 39

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“You get your adrenaline from the crowd, and seeing their reaction makes you more energetic” she could end up getting injured. “It’s about ritual,” she says.

“In a way, warming up is like a safety net, so I can be aware of my body. Mentally, I like to zone out a bit before a show and get myself in a place where I am calm and collected.”

Emily says she still gets nervous: it’s difficult not to when there’s a lot at stake. “It’s hard to always feel 100 per cent confident each time. When I was younger and maybe less experienced, I was more confident, because I was performing out of my own interest. But as soon as I became responsible for carrying somebody else’s artistic vision to the stage in dance, there’s a lot more pressure.”

Which is why practice is absolutely key – often, she says, amounting to many months of preparation. And although your important interview or your speech might not lend itself to that level of detail, there’s a lesson in how Emily gets to a place where, as she puts it, “you can trust the choreography that you have been rehearsing for a long time. All that practising and repetition becomes imprinted in your memory, so you can feel confident when you step out on to the stage. It’s about bringing that confidence with you.”

Gil agrees that when he’s playing a set, the positive energy he gives off can galvanise the audience, which in turns boosts

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his own performance – the two positively feed off each other.

There’s a big difference, he says, between the DJs who don’t engage with the audience and the ones who do – and love it.

“There are some DJs that just stand in the booth and do their job; it feels like they’re doing it for the money, standing like sculptures as if nothing’s happening. But when the DJ is jumping, going crazy to the music and engaging with the crowd, it brings a whole new energy. You get your adrenaline from the crowd, and seeing their reaction makes you more energetic.”

Being aware of what your body is doing is also key, says Brett: he uses mindfulness breathing techniques before and during a performance. “It’s a lot about just recognizing your thoughts as temporary and fleeting, and relabelling negative, anxious thoughts as positive ones that you can use to your advantage,” he says.

According to Fred Luskin, no specialist knowledge is necessary for this, just the ability to take slow, deep abdominal breaths to reduce adrenaline. While some adrenaline gives you a short-term boost, that doesn’t last long. “Deep breathing, or talking yourself down, helps you manage the stress response,” he says. “If you are feeling tense, let it go. Tell yourself that you have handled this well before and you will handle it perfectly well again.”

The key here, Fred says, is to recognise that you have a choice.

“Ask yourself: ‘Is this what I really want?’ If the answer is yes, you are choosing the pressure. Suddenly, there’s no threat there, so there’s much less danger. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll choose something else. It’s not the end of the world.”

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ZIS TODAY The Early Childhood program’s new home creates a sense of family, great learning – and fun.

For more, visit zis.ch/early-childhood.

“The curriculum is about helping children to be themselves and develop as individuals, but also to collaborate, make friends and problem-solve” Catherine Jolly Lower School Principal

ILLUSTRATION: MASAO YAMAZAKI

We talk about the ZIS community as one big ‘family’, and a key part of any family is having the chance to interact with each other. That was a key driver behind the recent move of the Early Childhood program into the Lower School building in Wädenswil, forming a single learning community for threeto 11-year-olds.

Having our youngest children here helps them to start building relationships earlier. We already have a buddy system on our campus, where older children connect with those in Kindergarten, and it’s wonderful to see our youngest children participating now. Bringing ages together like this helps the younger children to connect with the older ones, encouraging them to develop responsibility, empathy and understanding.

Although Early Childhood students physically sit within the main building, we have kept the integrity of the learning space. A school day is very different from an Early Childhood perspective. These students have their own timetable and they continue to have extended time to build, play and create in dedicated spaces. It simply allows us to develop a beautiful bespoke space, specially designed to deliver our child-centred, play-based Early Childhood curriculum.

We are really trying to focus on exactly what our children need, when they need it. Sometimes we have children who are reading and we respond to that and help them develop as readers and writers. But we also have children who are just not ready for that. The curriculum is about helping them to be themselves and develop as individuals, but also to operate within a group – to collaborate, make friends and problem-solve.

And all this is being delivered in a space that is practical and homely. A STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) room gives them space to build and create using

both physical materials and technology, and there is also a large creative arts room with cooking facilities, a sensory room and shared area where children from all three Early Childhood classes are able to come and go. We have developed a section of the library for their use, and they also have a small garden which is just for them, an entrance to the forest, and use of all the playgrounds at dedicated times. Our new furniture is warm and friendly, using natural materials such as wood and wicker.

We’ve also asked children to bring in family pictures to display, too, so they can see something important to them in the room.

There are plenty of practical reasons for the move, as well.

It makes it far easier for families who have children in Early ZIS to Grade 5, and it saves time for staff, too, some of whom used to move between the two sites during the day. Ultimately, it all helps to make our ZIS community, where we all look out for each other, even stronger.

This wonderful new space is designed to be child-led, enabling our children to have endless opportunities to explore, be curious, learn to socialise and to express themselves in whatever way suits them: movement, art, music, building, creating. We’re looking forward to making the most of it, while connecting as one family and one community, whatever our age.

ZIS VOICES | 43

PERSPECTIVES Corporate philanthropy is part and parcel of running a modern organisation, but what really makes doing good, good business? We asked the ZIS network.

WORDS SARAH WOODWARD ILLUSTRATION MICHAEL KIRKHAM

Dean Aragon Global VP Brand Shell Current parent Shell is a passionate supporter of STEM education and careers. It has been 35 years since we started Shell Eco-marathon, a programme that has become part of the curriculum in schools around the world.

The programme challenges aspiring young engineers to conceive and design mobility for the future – ultra-efficient vehicles across a variety of energy types: hydrogen, batteries, biofuels and petrol.

Today, it even has an autonomous vehicle challenge. But until four years ago, it was something of a well-kept secret – despite the fact that more than 10,000 students have been participating globally each year.

We now advertise Shell Eco-marathon within the #MakeTheFuture brand platform. In fact, it inspired our latest campaign, The Great Travel Hack – a branded content series on YouTube featuring two teams trying to travel across the United States with the lowest carbon emissions.

Why do we do it? We want to inspire and attract the engineers and scientists of the future towards the future of energy. They are essential for Shell to develop solutions for providing more and cleaner energy to the world. There is a mad scramble for such talent, with competition from tech companies such as Google and Amazon.

Like any campaign, Shell Ecomarathon is rigorously tracked and measured, so we know there is return on the investment. I believe “social investment” is better than simply donating money. When there is value generated for both business and society, it becomes more repeatable and enduring.

44 | ZIS VOICES

Phyllis Costanza CEO UBS Optimus Foundation Alumni parent The UBS Optimus Foundation’s approach to philanthropy is different from the typical corporate foundation – here it’s embedded in our business model rather than existing as a separate entity.

We are here to provide a service for our clients, who in many cases are as interested in philanthropic giving as investing. Our research found that more than 90 per cent of our ultra-high net worth clients are generous donors, but that less than 20 per cent were satisfied with the impact of their gift.

Giving is not purely an exercise in tax optimization – our clients are passionate about improving the world. We help them by identifying the right strategy for them, bringing them together with global leaders and experts in the causes that interest them.

Our primary focus is in education, health and child protection. We can be working with displaced and refugee children or providing skills training in technology in marginalised countries, but we always offer our clients comprehensive strategies within the sector. We even take them to see where their money is going. We recently flew some clients to Liberia, where they then went on motorbikes into rural areas to witness best practice in the field.

There is no doubt that the Bill and Melinda Gates Giving Pledge has inspired others to raise their philanthropic game. We collaborate with our extensive network of global partners to generate matched funding, leveraging every investment our clients make and covering all costs. We are all in this together, and the Holy Grail for us is social impact.

George Terziev Treasury Corporate MD Dow Current parent and Trustee As a parent, education is very close to my heart – we all want the best for our children and companies have a social responsibility as well.

There is always more willingness to give in the good times, but it is also important for corporations to be in it for the longer term, ideally with a local, holistic approach.

For example here at Dow in Switzerland, we build relationships with the local communities and schools by providing summer internships and organize open days to visit our labs and hopefully inspire some students to pursue chemical engineering degrees in the future.

In my own experience, involvement in such extra-curricular activities helps in character development for the young and assists us in our understanding of their concerns.

Internships also give us insights into the thinking of the millennial generation.

Millennials seem to be driven less by simple cash than by a desire for a meaningful engagement and knowhow. Giving them free bin bags and school lunches does not necessarily make them happy, but supporting their local science community does.

The environment is a major concern for all of us, particularly the young, so we are also heavily involved in sustainability planning. Through global waste cleanup campaigns, such as the recent #PullingOurWeight, which helped remove more than 52,500 pounds of litter from beaches and waterways, we raise awareness with the local communities and schools around responsible waste management and engage in addressing plastic pollution.

Naama Baram General Manager Teva Pharmaceutical Current parent Around the world people are still dying from diseases which we know we can cure, simply because there are communities on this planet where people do not have access to antibiotics. As a leading generic pharmaceutical company, it is quite simply our duty to support healthcare practitioners and NGOs who would otherwise be unable to provide those basic medicines.

Over the last three years, management attention at Teva has increasingly been focussed on ensuring these medicines are distributed at low or no cost to those who need them most, principally across sub-Saharan Africa but also in Central and South America. Our global supply chain from A-Z is involved in the effort, and our Patient Assistance Programmes now help more than 300,000 people across 45 countries, donating medicines to support patients with chronic illnesses, including non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, migraine and multiple sclerosis. We also have an extensive drug donations programme for emergencies and disaster relief.

We do this not just because it is our corporate social responsibility to help others. We have the means to do so and just as importantly it makes our employees proud to work for Teva. It also makes business sense. Teva invests heavily in research and development to expand our generics portfolio and these medicines must achieve penetration across markets to justify investment in their development. Maintaining a healthy, sustainable business affords us the opportunity to increase access.

We consider this a win-win for both Teva and global health.

ZIS VOICES | 45

ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES

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Getting hands-on with the Lower School STEAM programme.

WORDS DIANE SHIPLEY PHOTOGRAPHY CAMILLA GREENWELL

STEAM Coordinator Clement Cheah never encourages students to break things. Of course not. It’s just that, having spent his own childhood taking things apart, he knows just how powerful a teaching tool it is.

“A lot of electrical things are sealed in their cases now,” says Clement, “so finding out what’s going on is more of a challenge. l want to give students the opportunity to get more hands-on.”

Which is why Clement, as Lower School IT Technician in 2013, began two Lower School after school activities – Coding, and photography club Shutterbugs – and, after they became oversubscribed, added LEGO Robotics, which focused on engineering and robotics. It was the start of a coordinated Lower School after-school STEAM programme.

Six years on, the clubs change regularly and there are usually at least five each term (all with between 10 and 24 members). Several other colleagues also run after-school 46 | ZIS VOICES

activities: Elif Raskin on Makers Shakers, where students use STEAM ideas to solve challenges; Ian Philpot on Art Makers Shakers, creating art in various ways, including laser-cutting and engraving; Elizabeth Clouston teaches Origami; and Allan Dee heads up Marble Run, a frenetic race challenge which sees students constructing their own.

Vuk Urosevic (Grade 5) joined the programme last year and says the best thing about the clubs is the chance to build something new and make it work. “We have a lot of fun but learn at the same time. It’s really precious for our school to have passionate people like Mr Clement who can keep inspiring us to try new things.”

His favourite club so far has been Arduino, which introduced students to microcontrollers, used to build and program sensors that can detect and respond to a particular condition, such as switching on a fan in response to a rise in temperature.

As pleased as Clement is when students demonstrate their technical proficiency, he’s most proud when they enjoy the process. Recently, a team from the programme competed against other schools in Switzerland in First LEGO League Junior. The theme was Into Orbit, so students researched how astronauts live in antigravity and built a model moon

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03

01 A micro:bit-powered finger, built and coded by a Grade 4 student as part of the Body Systems unit.

02 Bobby Dobby, a Little Bits-powered robot

by The Tech Talkers.

03 The First LEGO League Jr team’s entry for the 2019 FLL Jr Zurich competition, Into Orbit.

04 From old PC parts to a Google Assistant: the Tech Talkers show everyone how cool upcycling can be.

base with moving elements that were programmed with an iPad. The timing of school holidays meant they didn’t have as much time to prepare as other clubs, so their build was smaller in scope, but the Google engineers who judged the competition recognised their efforts with Best Communication and Best Teamwork awards. “That was a great achievement,” says Clement. “But the most pleasing aspect was that they all said they couldn’t wait to do it again.”

Grade 5 student Alex Demey loves writing and baking, and at first it was the more artistic aspects of the STEAM programme that appealed to her – from Art Makers Shakers to the 3D printing club, where she designed and made her own iPad stand.

But she has just joined the new club #Techgirls, which teaches girls about the work of female pioneers like Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson as well as introducing them to the possibilities of a career in science and technology.

Alex was particularly intrigued by a talk from guest speaker Kari Lawler, a 15-year-old entrepreneur

“I want students to think ‘I wonder if this would work?’

I’d much rather hear ‘Oops!’ than ‘Oh, I wish I had...’” who built her own virtual assistant software.

“I thought artificial intelligence just meant robots but I found out it means Siri and Alexa, too. I got really interested in how it all works.”

Clement is especially keen to see students use their skills in meaningful ways in the future.

“We don’t just want to build things in vain. We want it to have a purpose,” he says. But, as long as students stay curious and creative, he says the programme will have done its job. “The idea is to give students the imagination to keep thinking, ‘I wonder if this would work?’ I’d much rather hear ‘Oops!’ from my students than ‘Oh, I wish I had…’”

Z I S V O I C E S | 47

MY PASSION

Valerie Monticone, Grade 12, shares her love of languages.

WORDS LUCY JOLIN PHOTOGRAPHY CAMILLA GREENWELL

Tongue twister Multilingual Valerie grew up speaking English and French, is now loving her German studies – and hopes to learn Italian in the future.

48 | ZIS VOICES

For Valerie Monticone (Grade 12), the joy of learning a language is using it in the real world. “Not just relying on textbooks and using our knowledge of the outside world helps us learn,” she says. “It means we have a better perspective on the language and what’s happening all around us at the same time.”

Valerie has been named as the winner of last year’s Hanna Gasser Award, a scholarship to attend a German-language residential educational programme in any German-speaking country.

It is given to the student who has demonstrated the most growth and potential for German language capabilities, something Valerie is taking to a new level by writing her IB Extended Essay in German.

Valerie’s family comes from French-speaking Canada, and they have always spoken French at

home. “Just by speaking French at home and English at school, I’ve always had to translate in my head,” says Valerie. “But I think having really good German classes in school has helped to develop those skills.”

Valerie hasn’t yet decided on a career path but, she says, she knows that the languages she has learnt will serve her well, no matter what she decides to do.

“I know that if I want to work for a global company, it will help me communicate and make connections with people. And an understanding of languages help me have a global outlook, too.”

The best thing about speaking German is being able to connect with people, she says – even if you’re not speaking with fluency every time. “Speaking their language helps build confidence and trust, as people realise you are making the effort. It’s important to have the confidence to express your thoughts, even though it might not be perfect grammatical structure.

“It makes living internationally so much easier when you can talk to the people around you, and it helps you to understand that world much better.”